Teachers & Staff

Featured teacher: Mr. Kravets

The Power of Parents

Bruce Kravets, Palms math teacher and winner of a Jaime Escalante award, volunteered to keep teaching without pay after his retirement, but weeks of red tape, mixed signals, and confusion in the school district made it appear that he could not continue to teach, despite the strong support of the principal and a statement by LAUSD superintendent Ray Cortines that Mr. Kravets is "extraordinary."

Parents overwhelmingly responded, calling attention to the situation, resulting in an article in the Los Angeles Times by well-known columnist Steve Lopez. Mr. Lopez reported that Mr. Kravets "worked on Saturdays and Sundays with students who wanted a little extra help at a school that is considered one of the best in L.A. Unified. He quoted the Palms principal speaking of Mr. Kravets in saying "I can't say enough incredible things about this man."

That attention in turn brought about a resolution of the problem, approval for Mr. Kravets to teach as a volunteer, and led to the NBC TODAY Show segment above.

Mr. Kravets is back in his classroom still teaching Math at Palms, and even taught an after-school class in Logic!

Bruce Kravets was honored as Teacher of the Month at a Lakers basketball game in February 2011.

Palms Teachers Show Their Dedication

Palms teachers regularly go beyond the call of duty, volunteering to help students, the school, and the local community.

Two highly qualified teachers are no longer on the LAUSD payroll but have returned to Palms to continue teaching as volunteers: Mr. Bruce Kravets and Ms. Sylvia Kvitky. Both teach math. Palms students benefit greatly from their dedication and years of teaching experience at Palms.